Seat



e. smmsauo.

SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21. 1920.

1,403,024; Patented Jan. 10, 1922..

- portin STATES Uhlllf serum orric SEAT.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

Application filed January 21, 1920. Serial No. 353,070.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAVE GRIMSRUD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Antelope, in the County of Sheridan and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to seats and has particular reference to a structure which is more specifically adapted for use in conjunction with tractors and similar machines.

One object of this invention is the production of a seat wherein the back portion is so connected to the bottom of the seat that it may be easily moved as occasion may require.

Another object of this invention is the pro duction of a seat wherein the back is slidably and pivotally mounted upon the seat bottom and is provided with a latching means, wherein the seat back may be held in a normal position to surround the side and rear portions of the seat bottom in the usual. manner or the latch means may be released and the back slid in one direction so that .it may swing downwardly for a predetermined distance to allow access easily to the seat bottom or for other purposes which may be desirable.

One practical form of construction and assembly of the present invention will be hereinafter described and is illustrated in the drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the seat, with a portion of the back being shown fragmentarily.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the seat, showing the back in a lowered condition.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the device, with a portion of the same being shown broken away.

Figure 41 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on theline 4- 1 of Figure l. Figure 5 is an elevation of the latch member of the locking means.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, about to be specifically described,the seat comprises a bottom 6 having a baseplate 7 secured upon the under surface thereof. This base plate 7 has guide ears 8 projecting beyond the marginal edge thereof at the forward portion of the seat bottom 6 as shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive. A supshelf 9 extends from the rear porthe base plate 7 and projects for a tion of upper portion of the seat bottom 6 to constitute a supporting surface upon the seat, as may be desired.

The seat may be carried upon the usual pedestal 11 having its supporting foot 12 secured as shown at 13 to the seat bottom 6, thus causing the sea bottom to be rigidly supported in a desired position.

The seat back 14; is substantially U-shaped, thereby forming parallel side walls 15, causing the seat back to conform in contour to the shape of the marginal edge of the seat bottom 6. The side walls 15 are provided with longitudinal slots 16 v adjacent their forward ends as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In order to reinforce the supporting back and sidewalls thereof, a reinforcing strip 17 may be provided adjacent the base of the supporting back and obviously this strip will also be provided with longitudinally extending slots 16 registering with slots 16. Headed studs 18 are carried by the seat bottom 6 and extend through the slots 16 and 16' as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4. It will therefore be apparent that the seat back. may rest upon the ears 8 and shelf 9 as illustrated in Figure 1 or it may be slid rearwardly by sliding along the ears 8 and shelf 9, the provision of the-slots 16 and 16 permitting this movement. When the supporting back has been moved far enough rearwardly, it will disengage the shelf 9 and then may swing downwardly by pivoting upon the studs 18 although this downward movement will be limited by the bearing of the side walls upon the rear edge portions of the ears 8 as shown in Figure 2.

Now in order to prevent this seat back from accidentally shifting rearwardly and shwinging downwardly, a latchingmeans is provided. This latching means includes a latch shown in general in Figure 5, 0011- sisting of a body 19 having an inwardly projecting extension 20 terminating in an up wardly extending lug 21. The upper end of the body 19 is provided with a projection 22. This body 19 passes through a guide bracket 23 and a spring 24: is carried by this body 19 as shown in Figure 1. One end of the spring 24 bears upon the bracket 28while plate 25 fixed upon the body 19, whereby'the resiliency of the spring will normallyforce the latch upwardly. Accordingly, as the latch is fixed upon one of the side walls-of the supporting back of the seat, the lug 21 thereofimay pass intothe socket 26 formed in the under surface of the seat bottom 6 and thus hold the seat back and the side walls thereof from accidentally moving rearwardly.

' Now in order to actuate this latch a lever 27 is provided and is pivotally supported upon a block 28 carried'by one of the walls 15. The extension '22 of the latch passes through the forward end of the lever27. The rear end of the lever is reduced as shown at 29 and is carried within a retaining loop 30 tohold the lever against displacement.

It is well known that veryoften the space betweenpthe drivers of a tractor engine is very restricted and the seat is generally placed within the space referred to. Accordingly, it is very oftenfdiiiicut'to mount upon. the seat and furthermore after the opera-tor has'been operating the machine for a 'considerable time, the cramped posltion he is forced to assume tires him greatly. Yet with the ordinary form of seat now in use, which are of the one-piece rigid construction, the operator cannotso change his position as to relax from the cramped position he has so longlbeen assuming. Under normal conditions, the. seat 'as, hereinbefore described assumes the condition shown in Figure 1. When however the operator desires" to mount upon the seat he may grip the lever 27 and swing the same'upwardly at its rear end, thus causing the forward 'end of the lever to move the latch "downwardly, whereby the lug 21 will disengage the socket 26 oft-he seat botton1 6. Now the operator may very easily pull the supporting back and the side walls thereof'rearwardly, as

"they will slide unrestricted across the upper surfaces ofthe ears 8 and the shelf 9. As soon as the supporting backdisengages the shelf. it will swing downwardly until the under edges of the side walls will engage the rear edges of the ears 8 whereby downward movement of the supporting back is then limited. As above noted, the seat bottom 6 maybe provided with a cushioning pad or suitable cushioning means 10and it should further be understood that the inner surfaces ofthe supporting back and the-side walls thereof may be provided with acushioning means 10 Now, when the seat back has reachedfits lowermost position it will be seen that it is substantiallyin alignment with the horizontal plane of the seat bottom 6. Therefore, the operator may very easily slide over the upper portions of the seat "without interference from the supporting backer the side walls and may thus assume a position upon the seat. He may then lift thesupporting back upwardly and then pull lug 21 will snap back into the socket 26, thus locking the seat back in position upon the seat bottom 6. The operator will then have a reinforcement for his back as he operates the machine upon which the seat is carried. If however, after continuous operation for a long period, he becomes cramped, he may thenshift the lever 27 to cause the latch to disengage the seat bottom and the supporting back may be swung downwardlyto the position shown in Figure2. At such time, it wiil be apparent considerable morespace will be provided adjacent the marginal'ed'ge of the seat bottom 6 and particularly at the rear thereof, whereby'the operator may shift about to change his cramped position andrelieve him of fatigue, which could not be done if the back and bottom of the seat were a unitary one-piece structure incapable of changing positions relative to 'each other-to permit the operator to have a differently arranged structure permitting of shifting or changing about thereupon as desired.

It wouldseem a very efficient seat has been provided, particularly adapted for tractors and like devices. The'supportin'g back and the side walls thereof may be moved to assume normal positions when desired to constitute a support for the back of the operator or may be shifted to a lowered positionto' permit of increasedarea about the-'- seat bottom to permit the operator to'move about and ease himself of a cramped posi-' tion when desirable. Therefore, the provision of latching means causes the supporting back tobe releasably held in a fixed position, although the provision of the ears and the shelf relieves the latching means of supporting strain. When desired however,

the latching means may, be released and the supporting back slid for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

The foregoing drawing and description has reference to the preferred or (approved form of the inventione It is to be understood however that I may make such changes in construction and assemblyof parts, materia'ls, dimensions, etc, as'mayprove expedient and come within the scope ofthe appended claims. r f 7 Having thus fully. described my invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is V LA seat comprising a bottom having a shelf portion, and abackslidably and piv otally associated withthe bottom and adapted to normally engage'said shelf po'rtion for support. f

2. A seat comprising-a bottom, aback mounted upon said bottom and provided with'side-walls having slots, and meanscam ried by the bottom and engaging said slots whereby the back is slidably and pivotally connected to the bottom.

3. In a seat, the combination of a bottom having a supporting plate thereon provided with oppositely extending side ears and a rearwardly projecting supporting shelf, a seat back slidably and pivotally mounted upon said bottom and normally resting upon said ears and shelf to be held in an upright position, said back also being capable of being slid across said ears and shelf to disengage the shelf and swing downwardly.

4. In a seat, the combination of a bottom, a back slidably and pivotally mounted upon said bottom, means extending from said bottom and engaging under said back for supporting the same, and a latch means releasably holding said back in a set position upon said last mentioned means.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a bottom havin supporting ears extending from the side portions thereof and a supporting shelf projecting from the rear portion thereof, a supporting back having side walls, said side walls having slots therein, headed studs carried by said bottom and extending through said slots, whereby said seat back is slidably and pivotally supported upon said bottom, said back normally resting upon said ears and shelf, as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of a seat bottom having oppositely extending ears projecting from the sides thereof and a shelf extending from the rear portion thereof, a reinforcing back having side walls provided with longitudinal slots, headed studs extending through said slots and being carried by said seat bottom, and latching means carried by said seat back, all for the purposes set forth.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a seat bottom, a seat back slidably and pivotally mounted upon said bottom, means carried by said bottom and engaging said back for supporting the seat, a latching means including a spring pressed latch, a pivotal lever connected to said latch for actuating the same, said latch normally engaging said seat bottom, as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAVE GRIMSRUD. lVitnesses:

E. T. SHEA, W. R. SAsK. 

